Blue Beetle is experiencing a slow crawl at the box office, but it’s not clear exactly why. It’s genuinely so good! The first outing for Xolo Maridueña’s Jaime Reyes features a beautiful origin story for the son of immigrants who is just trying to make a name for himself. Meanwhile, the Kord family is trying to take away everything that the people of Palmera City (the DC universe equivalent of El Paso) worked so hard for.
When Jaime returns home from studying for a law degree in Gotham City, he finds that his father had a heart attack, their house is maybe going to be destroyed, and their business is closed all because Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon) is trying to make Palmera City “better” by gentrifying the Edge Keys. Which is where Jaime’s family has lived his entire life.
At its core, Blue Beetle is about Jaime’s relationship to his family and trying to protect them. Yes, it’s about him being a hero and coming into his own (with the help of a scarab that gives him superpowers), but it is also rooted in Jaime’s heart, which he only has thanks to his family. If you’re waiting to see Blue Beetle when it’s digitally released, that’s doing a disservice not only to the movie but to yourself.
Often superhero movies are big spectacles and we’re told to see them on the biggest screen possible, only to feel like you could have enjoyed some of them at home. The difference here is that Blue Beetle is fun to experience with a crowd, cheering together for Jaime and his family. Not only is supporting a Latino film important so that we get more stories like Blue Beetle, but this movie is also just so incredibly good that it is a shame people aren’t flocking to see Jaime’s first outing.
We deserve future stories with Jaime Reyes!
There are so many more stories to tell with Jaime. First, we have the setup for Ted Kord to come in (who was the original Blue Beetle, minus the powers but plus the money—basically, he’s funny Batman). But more importantly, these characters are so rich with stories and love for each other that it feels wrong for them to not come back to us.
Jaime is brilliant, but his family really makes his rise to becoming the Blue Beetle so special. His Uncle Rudy (George Lopez) uses his tech abilities to help Jaime understand his new powers. His sister Milagro (Belissa Escobedo) encourages her brother to use his strength and heart to win. Not to mention his mother and grandmother turning out to be badasses in the end.
All of these characters are so rich with stories that I don’t want to think about a world without more Blue Beetle movies. So do yourself a favor, and go and see Jaime Reyes in theaters. Go meet him and learn about a comic book character you might not know much about. Experience the magic that is Blue Beetle and support the movie like it should be supported. Director Angel Manuel Soto did such a phenomenal job, and Jaime Reyes deserves better box office numbers.
(featured image: Warner Bros.)
